Contracts, Handbooks and Policies

More than compliance. Defining your culture and expectations

Contracts, handbooks and workforce policies are the building blocks of organisational clarity. But too often, they are treated as generic paperwork, standardised documents that sit untouched until something goes wrong. At Watershed, we see them differently.

These are not simply tools of compliance. They are instruments of culture, leadership and legal risk management. When properly constructed, they help employers set clear expectations, reinforce organisational values, and prevent minor issues from escalating into major disputes.

We work with clients to ensure their employment documentation is not only legally robust, but commercially coherent, culturally aligned, and reputationally defensible.

Tailored documents that reflect who you are

Your policies should sound like you. They should reflect the tone, values and professional standards of your business, not an off-the-shelf template.

We regularly advise clients undertaking wholesale reviews of their employment frameworks, including:

Contracts of employment for all employee levels
Staff handbooks and codes of conduct
Core policies (disciplinary, grievance, absence, performance)
Specialist policies (whistleblowing, DEI, social media, confidentiality)

In each case, we consider tone, accessibility, legal clarity and operational impact. We ensure that what you put in writing aligns with how you lead, manage and act.

Not every policy belongs in the handbook

A key part of our advice involves understanding what belongs in policy, and what belongs in guidance. Some documents are intended for employees. Others are tools for managers. Confusing the two can create ambiguity, inconsistency, or unnecessary rigidity.

We help employers structure their frameworks so that:

Policies are clear, actionable and legally sound
Guidance supports discretion and good judgment
Managers are equipped, not overwhelmed

This distinction is especially important when handling performance, misconduct, or requests for adjustments, where flexibility and consistency must be carefully balanced.

The risk of misalignment

Too often, businesses adopt policies that don’t reflect how they actually operate. Or worse, they implement frameworks that inadvertently increase their exposure to legal claims.

We routinely see:

 Contracts with unenforceable post-termination restrictions
Absence policies that disregard disability law
Disciplinary procedures that commit managers to unrealistic timelines

Our role is to ensure your documentation is not just legally accurate, but also realistic and strategically aligned with your business priorities.

Legal protection without the legalese

Good policies are not verbose. They are precise. Our drafting style is clear, direct and devoid of unnecessary legal jargon. We aim to make your documents usable, by managers, employees and HR alike.

We also make sure policies are:

Consistent across all employment documentation
Updated to reflect current legal standards
Accessible and inclusive in language and design

Where possible, we reduce duplication and complexity. We focus on clarity of intent, ease of use, and defensibility.

A strategic review, not a template tidy-up

When clients ask us to review their policies and handbooks, we don’t simply check for statutory compliance. We conduct a strategic review, asking:

Do these documents reflect your organisational voice?
Do they support or inhibit managerial confidence?
Are they protecting or exposing the business?
How would they perform under scrutiny in a grievance or tribunal?

For larger employers, especially those in regulated or high-risk sectors, we also advise on reputational risk and stakeholder perception.

When to review your documentation

It may be time to review or redraft your contracts and policies if:

You’ve grown rapidly or changed organisational structure
You’re onboarding new managers or HR staff
You’ve encountered disputes that exposed documentation gaps
You’re planning to implement flexible working, hybrid models or cultural initiatives
You haven’t reviewed your documents in the last 2–3 years

We work with both HR teams and senior leadership to ensure updates are not only legally sound, but practically embedded.

Why clients choose Watershed

We bring, senior employment law expertise, not generic templates, commercial understanding of how documentation plays out in practice and clarity and confidence in your legal frameworks .

Clients come to us not just to meet their legal obligations, but to define their standards, and protect their business.